Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

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Great story, surprising humor, and a killer score by the RZA. What else do you need?

By IGN Staff

This was one of my favorite movies in I don't know how long, and I think one of the main reasons is I went into it knowing exactly one thing about it: that it starred Forest Whitaker. So if you trust me, and you want to really enjoy a movie without knowing what it's about, stop reading now, pick up this DVD (the video and audio are good), and watch it-- you won't be disappointed. All the rest of you who don't trust me, let's move on with the review.

The MovieGhost Dog (Whitaker) is a pretty weird dude. He is a hit man, employed by the Mafia, who raises carrier pigeons and follows the ancient code of the Samurai, except he uses guns with silencers instead of a sword. (Except when he's training, of course.)

He's on a routine job to kill a Mob guy who's sleeping with the boss' daughter, but when he gets there the daughter is unexpectedly there. He leaves her unharmed, but for reasons that are never very clear, Ghost Dog now has to be eliminated himself.

The thing that surprised my the most about this movie is how funny it is. From the ads and the poster art and the soundtrack, you'd never guess that this movie is rife with really funny moments, but it is. Most of these are supplied by the Mob guys, who are a very funny caricature of what "real" Mob guys, as we (and they) have grown up seeing in all the Scorsese movies, are supposed to act like.

Also very funny is Ghost Dog's relationship with his best (and only) friend, the proprietor of an ice-cream truck who only speaks French-- Ghost Dog only speaks English, so they never understand each other. Ghost Dog also meets a little girl, who as it turns out is one of the best child actors I've seen in a long time.

It's not all peaches and light, though-- it's about people following ancient codes, that of the Mafia and that of the Samurai-- and it gets kind of heavy at the end.

Also definitely worth noting is the soundtrack, by the RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. It's an excellent hip-hop score, even better than the soundtrack CD (if you've heard that), because it's got more extended instrumental interludes.

On the whole a very pleasant surprise to me that I definitely recommend. 8 out of 10

The VideoA very nice anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer with no problems that I noticed anywhere. Colors are dark and deep, blacks are true black, and there is no artifacting, aliasing, or overenhancement. Very nice overall. 8 out of 10

The AudioBecause there is only a 5.1 track on this disc, that 5.1 is not as discrete as it could be-- all the sound is kept to the front speakers, except during a rainstorm sequence at the end. It sounds good when it does come alive, but that's not very often.

The sound in the front speakers is also good, but with this great soundtrack I would have liked to have heard it spread around a little more. 6 out of 10

The ExtrasMore here than I expected:

There is set of outtakes, only one of which is really worth a damn, which is another scene with the Mob guys where their accountant is trying to persuade them to declare bankruptcy.

There is a 30-minute featurette, which is totally promo-style (it aired on BET at the time of the movie's release), but it is okay.

Also there is a music video, some trailers, and an isolated music score. Pretty good overall, a lot more than I expected-- though commentary by Whitaker, director Jim Jarmusch, or best of all a music-only commentary by the RZA would have been pretty sweet. 7 out of 10

I'll say it one more time: this movie was a great surprise to me and I would definitely recommend it. It's the total package.